Governor-elect Greg Abbott shook hands with Speaker Joe Straus, as Lt. Gov.-elect Dan Patrick watched, on first day of the session last month. The three Republicans' interpersonal dynamics are being closely watched for signs of harmony or fissures.

There was a lot of talk in Austin in the past two weeks about how Gov. Greg Abbott, as commander in chief of the Texas Military Department, faced a big decision on whether to keep the National Guard at the Texas-Mexico border beyond next month.

On Tuesday, Abbott seemingly decided in the affirmative — to extend the Guard’s deployment.

But a casual observer could be forgiven for saying that then-freshman Republican state Rep. Matt Schaefer of Tyler effectively made that decision Dec. 1.

That was the morning Schaefer appeared in person before the Legislative Budget Board, an influential group of 10 lawmakers. Schaefer pleaded for the board to add $30 million to state funding of a high-profile border surge. That way, he said, hundreds of the 1,000 troops originally called out by Gov. Rick Perry last June wouldn’t be sent home prematurely.

Rep. Matt Schaefer

“From every conversation I’ve had, they are effective” as a deterrent to unauthorized crossings, he said. “When you send 800 of them home by January and … by March dwindle down to basically nothing, you can’t have this debate in the Legislature and send them back. … They go back to their civilian lives.”

The 10 board members seemingly ignored Schaefer. They proceeded to vote — unanimously — in favor of an $86 million “budget execution” maneuver. It extended a surge by Department of Public Safety officers along the border through August but only paid for deployment of National Guard soldiers there through March.

Shortly before 6 p.m. on Dec. 1, though, Lt. Gov.-elect Dan Patrick picked up on Schaefer’s dissent. In a release, Patrick said he recognized that the budget execution method is cumbersome and can’t be amended instantly. That requires negotiations with the governor. But Patrick echoed Schaefer and said the Guard’s border presence should’ve been fully funded through August.

“We should not be cutting back on funding for the National Guard at this critical time,” Patrick said. “I will address this issue immediately upon taking office in late January so we can keep the National Guard on the border.”

Last week, Patrick held a press conference, attended by many Republican senators. He complained that the number of troops at the border had dwindled to just a few hundred. He promised $12 million more to keep the Guard on the border through May. He also said he expects additional funding to maintain the presence for up to two years.

Flash forward to this week. From all appearances, Schaefer and his personal “force multiplier” — that would be the new lieutenant governor and eight new, tea party-backed GOP senators — have boxed in Gov. Greg Abbott and Speaker Joe Straus on the Guard issue.

If you review Abbott’s border security platform from last year’s campaign, it says nada about the Guard. If you heard Straus’ remarks at the University of Texas at Austin last week, you know that he’s no huge fan of policing — much less militarizing — the Texas-Mexico border at state taxpayer expense.

“We have, again, tripled our spending on border security in the last three sessions,” he told government professor Jim Henson. “What are we getting for that? How effective is it? … I hate to sound so frugal. But we can’t just keep tripling and doubling — it’s not sustainable. So we need help from the federal government. And we need a smart approach that is law enforcement driven … and not so much the optics of the military.”

Straus’ hesitancy, though, didn’t appear to faze Abbott as much as the possible wrath of his party’s staunch conservatives.

On Tuesday, Abbott pretty much made an open-ended commitment to keep the Guard on the border.

In his state of the state speech, speaking of the soldiers, Abbott said, “I ordered them to remain deployed on the border until my security plan is implemented.”

In his proposed state budget, Abbott asked for $183.8 million to continue the border surge for the next two years. That was quite a jump from his campaign platform last year, which estimated the price tag at $92 million.

Abbott spokeswoman Amelia Chasse wouldn’t say if costs doubled because of extended deployment of the Guard. Nor would she say how long the Guard would be needed. Abbott and Chasse have acknowledged it could be at least three years before DPS can hire, train and station the 500 additional state police troopers and Texas Rangers that the Republican governor wants at the border.

On Wednesday, Straus, R-San Antonio, dodged reporters’ efforts to goad him to criticize Abbott’s decision. The speaker almost sounded grateful that Abbott isn’t planning to keep the Guard on the border forever. Clearly, Straus’ doubts — and those of South Texas leaders, who insist the Guard deployment is wasteful and wrong-headed — haven’t moved state GOP leaders to end the Guard’s deployment anytime soon. Nor have the mild complaints of Maj. Gen. John Nichols, the top Guard official, who recently told House budget writers the months-long activation is straining the troops.

For now, if you want to know how long the Guard will be providing surveillance and support services in the Rio Grande Valley, here’s a suggestion.

Ask Matt Schaefer. In the House chamber, he’s at Desk 96 — third row from the back, center aisle.

Ken Paxton stands with his family after winning the Republican primary for Texas attorney general on May 27, 2014.

UPDATE 5:37 pm Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis, a Republican, is a longtime friend of Paxton. Bill Dobiyanski, the first assistant district attorney under Willis and chief of the felony trial division in Collin County, declined to say whether the office would investigate the matter.

UPDATE 5:20 pm: Dallas County District Attorney Susan Hawk has issued a statement indicating her office has no avenue to pursue a case against Paxton, if one were warranted.

She said that after a discussion with Gregg Cox, the head of Travis County special prosecutions, “at this time, we are not aware of having venue over any alleged crimes committed in Dallas County by Attorney General Ken Paxton.”

UPDATE 3:45 pm: Anthony Holm, a spokesman for Paxton, said the issue boils down to an oversight regarding filing paperwork to register as an agent.

“The Travis County District Attorney and the State Securities Board independently reviewed these matters and both came to the same conclusion,” Holm said.

“As we have maintained from the beginning this was solely an issue of paperwork compliance and was fully resolved last spring,” he said.

ORIGINAL POST: Travis County’s district attorney closed an investigation about Attorney General Ken Paxton’s actions involving the State Securities Board, saying the capital city is not the venue for any potential criminal charges.

The district attorney also indicated that she has cleared Paxton of other issues involving failure to fully disclose income in public reports and whether he gave any false statements during the investigation.

Paxton already paid a $1,000 fine last May after acknowledging that he failed to register with the securities board, as required by law. At the time, Paxton was a state senator and in private law practice. He acknowledged that he had recommended to his law clients that they use a certain investment firm. He did not disclose to his clients that he received 30 percent of the management fees generated by the referrals.

State law requires those who undertake such referrals and compensation to register as agents with the securities board.

Paxton also failed to list income from those referrals on his state disclosure forms, as required. A third element investigated included whether Paxton might have made false statements to the securities board when they were investigating the incident.

Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg said in a statement her office thoroughly reviewed the allegations and determined “that there is insufficient evidence to support a prosecution for any offense where venue would be appropriate in Travis County.”

Paxton’s failure to register as an agent occurred in Dallas and Collin counties, and information has been forwarded to those district attorneys, whose offices would be the proper place to proceed with any criminal action, if appropriate, Lehmberg said.

“Our investigation did not find any additional criminal activity over which our office has venue, so we are concluding Travis County’s involvement in this matter,” she said.

Texas Gov.-elect Greg Abbott, center, arrives for his inauguration with his wife, Cecilia, right, and daughter, Audrey, left, Tuesday, Jan. 20, 2015, in Austin, Texas. Abbott is the first Texas governor to use a wheelchair.

AUSTIN–It’s not yet clear who bankrolled last week’s $4.5 million inaugural bash.

A spokesman for Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday that the contribution list is near-ready and will be released to the public “soon.”

“The list is being finalized,” said John Wittman, a spokesman for the Republican. “As soon as it is, we will release it.”

In a departure from previous inaugurations, the Abbott administration said earlier this month that they would not release the inaugural donor list until after the Jan. 20 festivities.

“We will be raising money up to the inauguration, so we will disclose the donor information all at once,” Wittman said then.

The swearing-in of Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick was more than twice as expensive as the 2011 inauguration, when Rick Perry and David Dewhurst returned to office.

Private sponsors and supporters typically pay for such ceremonies. The event last week included the official swearing-in, a barbecue on the Capitol lawn ($10 for attendees), a parade, a celebration for young supporters ($35 per ticket) and a formal ball ($75 per ticket.)

While exact amounts are still unknown, the inaugural program lists “Platinum Star Sponsors,” or donors who contributed at least $100,000 to the festivities. That list includes AT&T, H-E-B, Spurs owner Peter Holt, Texas Oil & Gas Association and Walmart.

UPDATED at 10:10 p.m.: Shortly after 10 p.m., Gov. Abbott, Cecilia, the state’s first lady, and their daughter, Audrey, took the stage. They were ushered in by a red, white and blue light show and Brooks and Dunn’s “Only in America” on the loud speaker. His wife and daughter both wore long, red gowns.

Abbott’s speech, which lasted fewer than five minutes, focused on thanking his family, supporters and donors.

“The future of the state of Texas matters and you had a personal involvement” in shaping that future, he said.

UPDATED at 9:50 p.m. by Marissa Barnett: After a short video of clips from the campaign trail, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick addressed the crowd in a short speech thanking his family and God. He said his daughter announced her pregnancy earlier in the day—it will be his fourth grandchild.

“Anyone who runs for public office knows, if your family is not there with you it is very difficult to win and serve,” Patrick said.

UPDATED at 8:35 p.m. by Marissa Barnett: With concerts, hors d’oeuvres and cocktails, The Future of Texas Ball, it’s official title, is the final act in one of the most expensive inaugural on state record.

By 8:00 p.m., the event was in full swing with Austin-based funk and blues band Soul Track Mind playing as guests shuffled in. On tables throughout the ballroom are appetizers such as chicken and cilantro mini tarts, baked brie cups with apricot chili and toasted pine nuts and cordon bleu.

The room is brimming with long-flowing gowns, fur wraps and three-piece suits. At least one person is dressed as Buffalo Bill and another is in a confederate soldier uniform.

House Speaker Joe Straus is here. As is Matt Krause, R-Fort Worth. Members of the Duncanville High School graduating class of 1976—Greg Abbott’s class—have a designated table.

The night’s playlist is a line-up of Texas and Nashville stars. Fort Worth singer Pat Green, who performed in Perry’s 2011 inaugural bash, opened his set with his hit “Carry On.”

So far, it’s music, dancing, hors d’oeuvres and a bar ($4 for a bottle of water, $7 for drinks). Abbott and Patrick are slated to speak later, following a video with clips from both on the campaign trail, organizers said.

UPDATE at 3:26 p.m. by Tom Benning: Duncanville High School’s dance team and drum line have been in plenty of parades.

But representing Gov. Greg Abbott’s high school in the inaugural parade took the usual marching routine to the next level, students said. It isn’t every parade, after all, that the governor is sitting in the review stand to provide some extra encouragement.

“It was fun, especially seeing people excited for our school,” said sophomore Valarie Madrid, who plays the marimba.

Despite all the pomp – or perhaps because of it – the Duncanville crew treated the appearance like a business trip. Junior bass drummer Kyle McCown said he was so focused on his duties, he didn’t even notice if Abbott gave the group as special nod.

UPDATE at 3:10 p.m. by Tom Benning: When retired Duncanville High School teacher Nancy Nickel learned Monday night that she would make a cameo in Tuesday’s inauguration, she said she almost fainted.

New Gov. Greg Abbott – her former student, who still calls her “Mrs. Nickel” – told the 72-year-old that he was going to mention her by name in his inaugural speech and that she should be prepared to stand up, smile and wave.

She was stunned. But even then, she figured she would just be mentioned in a list of other teachers. Only when the governor singled out her – and just her, by name – for teaching him to “reach for my dreams” did she realize the full magnitude of the gesture.

“I was really pleased, surprised, heart bursting with pride,” said Nickel, who now lives in Emerald Bay.

Nickel recalls the younger Abbott with ease.

He was in her junior honors English class and served as sports editor of the yearbook. He ran track. He was popular, “very bright,” honest and “very forthright.” “If he said he would do it, he did it,” she said.

So is Nickel surprised that he ended up governor?

“No, I’m not surprised,” she said. “I’m pleased and thrilled, but I’m not surprised.”

UPDATE at 2:45 p.m: Temperatures in Austin climbed to 75 degrees just in time for the parade.

New Gov. Abbott and Lt. Gov. Patrick joined their families in a tent one block south of the Capitol on Congress Ave. to catch glimpses of The Texas Cavaliers, the UT Longhorn Band, the Central Catholic H.S. JROTC and the Duncanville H.S. band–to name just a few involved in the parade.

Here’s a clip of the UT Longhorn Band performing:

UPDATE at 1:59 p.m. from Tom Benning: Political junkie Cindy Broderick asked her husband, Mike, for a special birthday gift this year: a trip to the Texas inauguration.

And with the celebration falling exactly on her 54th birthday, Cindy Broderick made sure to stop by the official inaugural store to get some gifts: t-shirts ($15), tumblers ($15) and a few other pieces of memorabilia.

“I had to get some swag,” said The Woodlands resident, who joked that she first made sure that store officials weren’t going to give her information to a Democratic mailing list.

With this being the first time in years that the gear featured a new governor, sales appeared to be brisk. Many of the gifts – which ranged from cigar cutters to coasters to cufflinks to blankets – featured the slogan, “Even the Future is Bigger in Texas.”

UPDATE at 1:00 p.m. from Tom Benning: Plano-based Mystical Coffee has filled some sizable orders before.But the 6,000 cups of coffee — featuring a special “inauguration blend” — the company had ready to serve at the inauguration on Tuesday is an order that

Bill DeWhitt and his partners will likely never forget.“Imagine an entire neighborhood in Plano,” he said. “Every water heater in that neighborhood would be filled with coffee.”

Mystical Coffee doesn’t have a store front, instead doing business largely through its website, mysticalcoffee.com. The company focuses on high-end coffee, and owners see the high profile of the inauguration as a potential major breakthrough.

“It’s really a fabulous honor,” DeWhitt said.

So what’s an inauguration blend, anyway? It’s a mixture of Ethiopian and Colombian coffees – “it’s bold, it’s big, and it’s smooth, all at the same time.” Interested coffee drinkers can sample it as part of the inauguration box set, retailing for $160.

Original post: AUSTIN—The Texas flag is on full display in this crowd of a few thousand gathered outside of the Texas Capitol where Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick are being sworn in. It’s featured on button down shirts, dog sweaters, blankets and jackets.Couple from Temple

Plano residents Keith and Debbie Bridges arrived early to stake out a prime spot in the general admission section of the inaugural festivities.

Plenty of shade. A clear sight line to the podium. And just enough room for Keith Bridges to use his heavy-duty camera.

“We’re very happy with where we are,” he said, being careful to keep his boot on the spot where he and his wife had marked out space.

“This is just fine,” his wife added.

The Bridges were two of tens of thousands of Texans to receive an invitation to the inauguration. Keith Bridges joked that he and his wife got the invite because they were on “that list” – “that conservative, tea party list that you don’t want everybody to have a copy of.”

The invitation welcomed the Bridges and other Texans to the state house grounds, but it didn’t get them into the seated area. Some worried that those guests might be miffed by that distinction, and there were some chuckles from the chair-less group when an official asked for everyone to be seated.

But the Bridges and others said they were simply happy to be part of the event — and curious to see what a whole new slate of leadership in Austin might mean.

“I like Rick Perry, and I like what Rick Perry has done for the state,” Keith Bridges said, referring to the outgoing governor. “I hope Greg Abbott will carry on with that.”

Robin Walker of McQueeney, 55 miles south of Austin, said that despite following Texas politics all her life, it’s her first time attending an inauguration.

As a life-long conservative, she said, “I’m thrilled because they’re all good, competent people.”

The most important issue to her during the elections was border security, she said.

“Abbott’s been very active enforcing the law and that’s important to me,” she said.

Group calls for Gov. Abbott to pardon Rodney Reed

Meanwhile, 50 feet away, a small crowd of people with signs and shirts are protesting. They’re calling on Gov. Abbott to pardon Rodney Reed, a death row inmate who some believe was wrongly convicted of the 1996 murder of a 19-year-old Bastrop woman.

“Gov. Abbott has the political power to stop this execution,” said Judy Morgan, organizer of the rally. “We’re going to be here, we’re not going away.”

Republican Dan Patrick of Houston was sworn in as Texas’ 42nd lieutenant governor on Tuesday, promising to usher in a new era of political conservatism that focuses on tightening up the Texas border, offering school choice to parents and reducing taxes.

Patrick took the oath of office shortly before fellow Republican Greg Abbott was sworn in as governor. The two men will give the state new leaders in both offices for the first time in more than a decade.

“As conservatives, we have done many great things over the last 12 years since taking the majority, but it’s time to take it to the next level. You have given us a mandate and you have been very clear about what you want us to do,” Patrick said from the south steps of the Capitol.

“It’s a new day inTexas.”

Patrick was sworn in by his son Ryan, a state district judge from Harris County, as thousands of spectators watched on a bright, crisp day in Austin.

The former state senator and radio talk show host repeated his key campaign pledges, saying he will begin work right away on border security, reduced property and business taxes, education improvements and new infrastructure. He also said protections for life and the Second Amendment will be high on his list.

Patrick highlighted school choice early in inauguration speech.

“I dream of the day when every parent has the choice to send their child to the school they pick because they believe it’s best for their child,” he said. His preferred school choice plan in the past was a new system of tax credits for businesses that donate money for scholarships to private and religious schools.

On taxes, the new lieutenant governor said property taxes and business taxes must be reduced, particularly for homeowners who cannot afford taxation that is increasing more rapidly than their salaries.

Texas State Comptroller Glenn Hegar announces an overwhelmingly Republican Legislature will have $113 billion in revenue to spend over the next two years, at an announcement made on Monday, Jan. 12, 2015, in Austin, Texas, the day before the 84th legislature is sworn into office. (AP Photo/Austin American-Statesman, Ralph Barrera)

AUSTIN–New comptroller Glenn Hegar banked $350,000 in campaign contributions in the days before and following the Nov. 4 election, according to campaign finance reports released Friday.

The majority of the Republican’s donations between Oct. 26 and Dec. 31 came from political action committees and business interest groups, including individuals or organizations who have had business before the comptroller’s office (such as applications for tax incentives.)

Hegar, a former senator and farmer from Katy, beat Houston-area accountant Mike Collier in the November race. In all, he raised more than $4 million for his bid. A substantial portion of that came from people who help businesses secure tax breaks under state incentive programs.

Texas law does not limit contributions from those with business before an elected official.

Hegar has $2.2 million in his campaign war chest, according to new reports.

Lt. Gov.-elect Dan Patrick raised more than $2.6 million in campaign contributions from late October through December, with most of those donations coming after his election on Nov. 4, according to the Republican’s latest campaign finance report.

Patrick, a former senator and radio talk show host who will be sworn into office on Tuesday, received his largest contributions from the Texans for Lawsuit Reform PAC and the Border Health PAC, which each gave $125,000.

There were seven donations of $50,000 to his campaign, including one from San Antonio Spurs owner Peter Holt and another from the Kickapoo Tribe of Texas, which has sought legislative approval of casino gambling in the past.

Among the $25,000 contributors to Patrick in his latest report were the AT&T PAC, Texas Dental Association PAC, Farmers Employee and Agent PAC of Texas, Texas Association of Realtors PAC, the A&M PAC and Ryan Texas PAC. Also a $25,000 contributor was Midland oilman Tim Dunn, the primary financial backer of a group that tried unsuccessfully to oust Republican House Speaker Joe Straus this week.

The report from Texans for Dan Patrick also showed expenditures during the period of $1.7 million, most of it for political consultants including Blakemore & Associates of Houston. The campaign had $3.9 million in cash as of Dec. 31 and outstanding loans of $1.45 million.

The Hill reports today that Cruz isn’t being asked back by the new chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, Sen. Roger Wicker.

The fact that Cruz is gearing up to run for president in 2016 made this parting of the ways inevitable and entirely predictable. But there was plenty of friction and ill will, too.

Just after the Texans’ election in November 2012, GOP leader Mitch McConnell – now the Senate majority leader—asked Cruz to serve as NRSC vice chairman in charge of grassroots outreach. In effect, he sought to bring the tea partier into the tent by making him the liaison to tea partiers.

But it quickly became obvious that Cruz wasn’t so much of a team player.

He sought to recruit and promote like-minded conservatives ahead of the 2014 GOP primaries. He worked with outside groups that sometimes backed candidates other than those picked and approved by the NRSC – in particular, the Senate Conservatives Fund, which backed challengers to a number of incumbent Republicans, even including McConnell.

The NRSC’s chief goal is to protect incumbent Republican senators, with growing the GOP’s ranks a close runner up.

In the Senate itself, Cruz regularly bucked party leadership – most notably in instigating the government shutdown in fall 2013, over demands to defund Obamacare.

As the relationship soured, GOP strategists aligned with the NRSC grumbled about Cruz to the news media. Cruz aides bristled. And a standoff ensued. McConnell didn’t force him out and Cruz didn’t do much on behalf of the committee – until last fall, when he cut a generous $250,000 check to the committee. Cruz also stumped for a number of GOP Senate nominees, helping shore up conservative support even for candidates from other wings of the party, such as embattled Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts.

Wicker, R-Miss., downplayed the idea of any rift. He noted that neither Cruz nor Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, the NRSC’s finance chairman the last two years, would return for the next two years. Wicker’s own predecessor as chairman, Sen. Jerry Moran of Kansas, himself only served two years.

An NRSC aide told The News today that it’s typical for senators to serve only one two-year term at the committee.

“All senators in NRSC leadership commit to serving two-year terms and the 2014 cycle was no different,” the aide said.

It’s not an ironclad rule. Texas’ senior senator, John Cornyn – now the party’s deputy leader – served four years as chairman, for instance.

As recently as a few days ago, Cruz was still listed on the NRSC website as a vice chairman. That page has now been updated, and only Wicker appears on the leader list.

Unidentified GOP strategists told The Hill – as they (or others) have said plenty of times in the past 18 months or more to that publication, this publication and plenty of others – that Cruz was a vice chairman on paper only.

Cruz was much in demand as an endorser and surrogate last fall, and spokeswoman Catherine Frazier noted for The Hill that he stumped for a number of GOP candidates, including Roberts and freshmen Sens. Dan Sullivan in Alaska, Ben Sasse in Nebraska, and David Purdue in Georgia, and others.

“Sen. Cruz was glad to spend considerable time and resources working to help secure a GOP majority,” she said.

Murdoch Pizgatti works on a Ghost Gunner gun manufacturing machine at a Come and Take It gun rally during the first day of the 84th legislative session outside the Texas state capitol on Tuesday, January 13, 2015 in Austin, Texas. (Ashley Landis/The Dallas Morning News)

AUSTIN—Open carry advocates—armed with rifles—descended on the Texas Capitol Tuesday, the opening day of session, to bolster support for a bill that would allow unlicensed open carry of handguns.

Outside, one group used the Ghost Gunner, a device that can quickly produce from digital designs a working gun, to manufacture handguns near the Capitol gates.

Inside the Capitol, some advocates barnstormed legislators’ offices to both rally support and heckle representatives who refused support of the bill—their tactics irritated other open carry supporters who saw the actions as harmful to the cause.

The event drew about 30-40 people.

The gun-making gimmick by the Dallas-based, gun-rights group Come and Take It Texas is intended to draw attention to HB 195, a bill authored by Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford. The legislation is one of several open carry bills to be considered this session but the only one that would strip the licensing requirement.

“No one wants to be licensed and regulated for our First Amendment rights, we think the same should be true for the 2nd,” said Matthew Short, a spokesman for the group.

Members of Open Carry Tarrant County stirred controversy Tuesday for tactics they used while pushing for the bill. A video posted on Facebook by group head Kory Watkins shows open carry advocates calling Rep. Poncho Nevarez, D-Eagle Pass, a “tyrant” for opposing open carry.

“You won’t be here very long, bro. We the people are coming to take Texas back,” a person in video told Nevarez.

Open Carry Texas leader CJ Grisham immediately took to social media to blast the activists, calling their actions ineffective.

“I am so pissed at the actions of people today inside the Capitol. Totally counterproductive and unprofessional,” he said on Facebook and Twitter.

Yesterday, the Texas chapter of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in American visited 175 lawmakers’ offices lobbying against open carry, a representative said.

“Make no mistake: expanding open carry is simply an attempt by the gun lobby to make it acceptable for anyone to open carry guns everywhere, no questions asked,” volunteer Claire Elizabeth (the group did not provide a last name) said in a statement. “This is not the Texas we want to raise our families in.”

NOTE: An earlier version of this story misstated that Paxton is currently under criminal investigation. Paxton admitted to failing to register as a financial agent while soliciting clients for investment firms, which could carry criminal charges. A watchdog group filed a complaint against Paxton in the Travis County District Attorney’s office. The office told media in September it would not proceed on the complaint until after the November election. The office has not yet announced whether it will move forward on the complaint.

AUSTIN–Republican Ken Paxton took office as the state’s attorney general in a ceremony at the Texas Capitol on Monday that featured remarks from Gov. Rick Perry, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and Lt. Gov-elect Dan Patrick, among others.

Paxton said Gov.-elect Greg Abbott’s tenure as attorney general, which has included suing the federal government more than 30 times, “set the standard” for attorney’s general across the country.

“I’ve heard this said more than anything to me on the campaign trail: ‘You’ve got big shoes to fill,’” Paxton said.

“I just want you to know, governor-elect, I’m a size 12. I’m ready to go to work,” he said.

Paxton, a lawyer from McKinney and former state senator, defeated Democrat Sam Houston in the November election.

He could face legal penalties for allegedly violating security law by failing to register as a financial agency while soliciting clients for firms.

In his speech Monday, Paxton called Texas a “beacon of hope” for the country because of its policies, including limited government and low taxes.

“We have strong communities of faith and family, people from my community and communities all over Texas who believe in common sense conservative values, and we’ve had great prosperity,” Paxton said.

“Despite that, Texas is under assault” from federal overreach, he said, following the theme of many earlier speeches.

Ted Cruz, who served as solicitor general before running for U.S. Senate, praised departing-AG Greg Abbott for being on the “front lines everyday defending liberty.” He noted fights Abbott had waged over the 2nd amendment, the Affordable Care Act and EPA regulations.

“We have been blessed for three terms to have an extraordinary attorney general in Greg Abbott and he’s going to make an even better governor,” Cruz said.

“But I’ll tell you right now, Ken Paxton is a worthy successor to Greg Abbott…Ken Paxton will be a champion for the constitution,” he said.

State Supreme Court Justice and longtime friend, Don Willett, introduced Paxton. Willett, wearing a green bow tie, made jokes about the time both spent as students at Baylor University.

“Texas has 29 statewide elected officials and for almost 10 years I’ve been the one and only Baylor Bear,” he said. “I’m thrilled that the bear population today is going to double.”

He said Paxton is driven by several “noble passions,” including his family, the constitution and the rule of law. He also called him a “man of deep and resounding faith.”

“As a lawyer, he knows that religious freedom is the first of freedoms,” Willett said. “Ken believes it’s okay to say ‘God bless you’ even when nobody sneezes.”